Region Archives: Canada East

The outlook for Nova Scotia sawmills after the closing of Northern Pulp is one of troubling uncertainty and, so far, few answers from the provincial government on how to replace a key customer, say managers of several companies. Andrew Watters, general manager of the Groupe Savoie mill in Westville, N.S., said in an interview on Monday he has an inventory of hardwood that still has to be milled, but no market yet for wood chip byproducts the mill purchased in the past. The mill manager met with his 45 workers on Friday to tell them the future after the Jan. 31, 2020, closing is unclear, and he wouldn’t criticize them if they sought other work. “I told them we don’t know how this is going to play out. If you’re going to make a plan, I don’t hold that against you. We all have to eat,” Mr. Watters said.

Millenniums ago, as an Ice Age ended and glaciers melted, Mother Earth came to life again in the lands we now call Northern Ontario. The gifts of the creator – fish in the waters, geese in their annual migrations, animals that offered themselves for nourishment and clothing, trees that provided shelter – drew Indigenous people into these territories. In time, Europeans came, too, seeking the animal pelts they could sell in Europe. This push-and-pull over resources – occasionally fruitful, but often fraught – is the story of Thunder Bay’s economy. It is a narrative of partnerships and rivalries that have shaped the tense relationships between Indigenous people and settlers that exist here to this day. At its best, the fur trade was a partnership in which cast-off furs – “greasy beaver” – were exchanged for manufactured items such as clothing, knives and guns.

John Yakabuski

QUEENS PARK – The forest sector has been a vital segment of Ontario’s economy for generations. Today, it’s a $16-billion industry that provides 155,000 direct and indirect jobs across the province. …Under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, our government has a plan to build Ontario together with a better quality of life and a higher standard of living in every region of the province. For Northern and rural communities, that means supporting the forest industry. Forestry is a critical source of employment in these communities, providing well-paying jobs in regions with few other industries. …Earlier this month, I introduced Ontario’s draft Forest Sector Strategy, which aims to stimulate job creation and promote economic growth. …Critically, the strategy’s main pillar is Promoting Stewardship and Sustainability. 

NEW GLASGOW, N.S. — There was despair and elation in northeastern Nova Scotia Saturday as the fallout of a pulp mill’s coming closure is rippling through the homes and lives of families in the region.  Premier Stephen McNeil announced on Friday he would keep a pledge he made five years ago that Northern Pulp wouldn’t be permitted to continue piping its effluent into Boat Harbour, near Pictou Landing First Nation, after Jan. 31.  The company then announced the closure of the pulp mill in Abercrombie, N.S., and predicted the loss of thousands of forestry jobs. In Pictou Landing First Nation, Warren Francis, a lobster fisherman, says he’s saddened by job losses, but excited and pleased his community can expect the flow of effluent will stop after 52 years. However, in nearby New Glasgow, Northern Pulp co-workers Kim MacLaughlin and Wanda Skinner say they are fearful for their families’ well being.

AMHERST, N.S. — Darrin Carter is afraid for the future of his company and those who have come to depend on him. “I don’t know what to think, I’m very scared,” said Carter, moment after Premier Stephen McNeil announced his government would uphold the Boat Harbour Act of 2015 and not provide the owners of the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou an extension on its plan to treat effluent from the mill. “I have to go back and face 20 employees.” Carter said 100 per cent of the work he does in Cumberland County goes to Northern Pulp and he fears losing the contract with the pulp mill will put him out of business and force him into bankruptcy. His company owns 4,000 acres in the county, the value of which, he said, was just cut in half with the premier’s announcement. 

Stephen McNeil

SYDNEY, N.S. — Brent MacInnis is worried about the future of the forestry industry in Cape Breton and his family business. A second-generation lumber supplier, his father started Hugh MacInnis Lumber Ltd. in the late 1970s. The company supplies Port Hawkesbury Paper, and for at least two decades they’ve been a part-time supplier for Northern Pulp, which makes up more than 20 per cent of their revenues. But with Premier Stephen McNeil’s announcement that Northern Pulp must stop pumping effluent into Boat Harbour by Jan. 31, MacInnis said this probably means no more sales from the Pictou County paper mill. Estimating a revenue loss of about $200,000 per year for his company due to the closing of Northern Pulp, MacInnis also fears the shutdown will give Port Hawkesbury Paper an unfair buyer’s advantage. 

Livio di Matteo

There’s a good argument to be made that Canada would not exist as we understand it today without Thunder Bay. …And the economic infrastructure that was laid in the first third of the 20th century provided opportunities for immigrants in the area’s sawmills, pulp mills, grain elevators and manufacturing plants. …This was the golden age of Thunder Bay’s economic development. …But then the veneer of that golden age began to chip off. …The forest-sector crisis ultimately saw three out of four pulp mills and a major sawmill close. …How Thunder Bay deals with its economic and social challenges should not be viewed as a spectator sport by smug urban elites in central Canada. What is happening here is not comeuppance for bad behaviour. Thunder Bay is the canary in the coal mine for the rest of Canada.

They huddled around a cellphone screen, steeling themselves for the possibility that Premier Stephen McNeil would break his word. …But they watched in disbelief as the premier made good on his commitment, pledging that Northern Pulp would stop pumping effluent into Boat Harbour on Jan. 31. …Brian Hebert, the community’s lawyer who negotiated the act with the province… was also in a state of disbelief over the premier’s announcement. …“When the significance of what had happened started to sink in there was a real sense of validation, that as a people their rights were finally being validated,” said Hebert. The community is finally on track to righting an injustice spanning five decades. An injustice carried out by the federal government and successive provincial governments. Back in 1967, the federal government granted the province the right to… use Boat Harbour as an effluent dumping ground. (a subscription may be required to access the full story)

The CEO of the company that owns Northern Pulp says the mill will be forced to shut down unless the Nova Scotia government extends the Boat Harbour deadline. Paper Excellence Canada CEO Brian Baarda said the company’s stakeholders are preparing for the worst-case scenario. …According to Baarda, not extending the deadline would lead to the termination of more than 300 employees at the mill and the cancellation of contracts with suppliers, contractors and woodlot operators throughout Nova Scotia, which the company says will have an impact on more than 11,000 jobs. …Hundreds of forestry workers and industry partners from across the Maritimes gathered in front of the Nova Scotia legislature on Thursday, urging McNeil to save their jobs. Rally speakers include union representative, wood lot owners along with lumber and forestry workers.

A rally will be held in downtown Halifax this morning by Unifor members who are looking to save forestry jobs at stake due to the Northern Pulp saga. According to Atlantic Regional Director of Unifor Linda MacNeil, members will be gathering gather outside Province House, attempting to show politicians who would be impacted if pulp mill was forced to shut down. …The rally will be held outside Province House at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, meanwhile, a rally is being held simultaneously at Pictou Landing First Nation. The chief of Pictou Landing First Nation is holding Premier Stephen McNeil to his promise to clean up the toxic mess at Boat Harbour. Andrea Paul says McNeil’s promise is enshrined in law – under the Boat Harbour Act passed in 2015 – and the effluent treatment plant must be closed by the end of January 2020.

Wayne Easter

Malpeque MP Wayne Easter said he was “a bit surprised” by Monday’s decision by federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson to not carry out a federal environmental assessment of the proposed Northern Pulp effluent pipe. But Easter said the decision rested on a belief that the company would still need to abide by stringent federal pulp and paper effluent and pollution regulations. “What the feds are saying (is) it can be just as effective as an environmental review,” said Easter. “The federal regulatory processes will have to be met in order to proceed…” In all, regulations from five federal departments – Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Transport Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Health Canada – would have to be met for Northern Pulp’s proposed effluent pipe to operate. The company would need to abide by these regulations even if it passed an environmental assessment from the Nova Scotia government.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has rejected a pulp mill’s plea for a deadline extension that would have allowed it to continue dumping wastewater near a First Nation after Jan. 31. …An emotional McNeil told a news conference that the mill has been given ample time to clean up its act and stop dumping effluent into the Boat Harbour lagoon near the Pictou Landing First Nation. …”The company has had 5 years and a number of opportunities to get out of Boat Harbour, and to this point we aren’t even close to doing that,” he said. “The company has put us all in a very difficult position.” He said the Jan. 31 deadline contained in legislation passed in 2015 would be enforced: “Northern Pulp will be ordered to stop pumping effluent in Boat Harbour, and let me be clear, there will be no extension.” McNeil announced a $50-million transition fund to help affected workers in the forestry sector across the province.

A joint lumber-power operation in northwestern Ontario is commending the provincial government’s commitment to a new Forestry Sector Strategy that’s aiming to help create jobs, promote economic growth, and reduce costs to business. The province unveiled a draft of the strategy on Dec. 4. A compilation of feedback gathered from industry, community, and Indigenous leaders, the draft is now available to the public on the Environmental Registry. In a Dec. 18 news release, Hornepayne Lumber and Hornepayne Power outlined the benefits of the strategy to their venture. The two operations together form an integrated sawmill and biomass cogeneration plant. In 2017, three area First Nations – Missanabie Cree, Chapleau Cree, and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (Pic Mobert) – formed the Northeast Superior First Nations Investment LP (NSFNI LP) consortium, investing $4-million into the operation to become equity partners in the enterprise, which had been shut down since 2015.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s premier has delayed his decision on the future of the Northern Pulp mill, drawing political fire from opposition leaders who accuse him of running from his responsibilities. Stephen McNeil was expected to address the situation on Wednesday, but his office issued a short statement saying he would now do so on Friday. McNeil said in an interview he needs to reflect on whether to give the company more time to complete an environmental assessment or let a legislated deadline stand. …”I need to weigh all sides of this,” McNeil said of a decision he described as the most difficult he’s had to make in his six years as premier. “There isn’t one side or another. There’s many facets associated with this whole issue… This is people’s lives.” …Pictou Landing Chief Andrea Paul said there is nothing the government can offer the band to win its approval for an extension.

Stephen McNeil

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil won’t speak publicly about the future of Boat Harbour and Northern Pulp until Friday, a move that’s drawing heaps of scorn from opposition leaders. …On Tuesday, Environment Minister Gordon Wilson said the company’s environmental focus report lacked enough science-based information for him to make a decision. …Wilson ordered an environmental assessment report, a process that could take at least two years. Mill officials responded by saying they would take time to consider the future of the operation and called on McNeil to make a decision as soon as possible about whether he would extend the legislated closure date of Boat Harbour. …McNeil is also expected to address the issue of what would become of Northern Pulp’s loans of $85.5 million from the province should the mill stop operating. …Opposition leaders lambasted McNeil’s silence.

Premier Stephen McNeil will honour the province’s commitment to Pictou Landing requiring Northern Pulp to stop pumping effluent into Boat Harbour by Jan. 31 because otherwise the First Nation community would have been consulted, says a lawyer representing Pictou Landing. “The province has a duty to consult with Pictou Landing about how a decision to extend the Jan. 31 deadline would impact them,” said Halifax lawyer Brian Hebert. The lawyer was part of negotiating the deadline … But the premier has faced heavy criticism for not yet announcing whether he intends to stand by the Act his government signed off on. He issued a statement on Wednesday saying he would announce his decision on Friday. …Gordon Wilson is requiring the mill to file a full environmental assessment that could take years to complete, said Hebert. Hebert doesn’t believe the premier is willing to wait that long and is confident the Boat Harbour deadline will remain in effect. [May require a subscription to read the full story]

Tomorrow, Premier Stephen McNeil is going to hold a news conference to announce his intentions regarding the legislated deadline for closing down Boat Harbour as Northern Pulp’s waste lagoon. …Given that successive governments have bowed to pulp interests, and given that it’s not an overstatement to say that for decades the province has been held hostage by the industry’s demands — damaging so many of our prospects to restore the forests, protect forest-dependent species at risk, and ensure a viable, long-term, plan — my spiny sense is on high alert. For me, it’s not inconceivable that Minister Wilson’s decision, to require a full EA, was intended to play into Northern Pulp’s hands. …If I were a betting man I’d say Premier McNeil is going to allow an extension to the Boat Harbour deadline.

HALIFAX—Nova Scotia Environment Minister Gordon Wilson is calling for more information from Northern Pulp before deciding whether the mill can pump wastewater into the Northumberland Strait, casting significant doubt on the future of the decades-old kraft mill. “I have concluded that I need more science-based evidence,” Wilson said. “As a result, I have decided that Northern Pulp must file an environmental assessment report if they want to continue with this project.” Continued operation of the Abercrombie, N.S. mill hinges on having an effluent treatment facility for tens of millions of litres of wastewater, daily, and the mill’s current facility in Boat Harbour is legislated to close by Jan. 31, 2020. …Wilson said he was aware of the stakes of his decision. …For the Boat Harbour deadline to change, Premier Stephen McNeil would have to call the House of Assembly to sit before the end of January.

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government decided to withhold its approval of a pulp mill’s plan to build a pipeline to dump 85 million litres of treated effluent daily into the Northumberland Strait. However, the fate of the Northern Pulp mill near Pictou, N.S., remains unclear:

• A key deadline is looming – In 2015, the province’s Liberal government passed the Boat Harbour Act. The law states the company must stop dumping into Boat Harbour by Jan. 31, 2020.
• The mill could close in the days ahead – Without [a one year] extension, the company made it clear the mill would be forced to close.
• The proposal faces considerable opposition – Fishermen, residents in nearby Pictou, the Pictou Landing First Nation.
• The company’s position – if the province rejects the request for a deadline extension, the mill will not dump effluent into Boat Harbour.
• The forestry industry already in trouble.

VANCOUVER — Fortress Global Enterprises announces that the Superior Court of Québec has rendered… a first day initial order granting the Company and certain of its material subsidiaries creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act in order to restructure their affairs. The First Day Order provides for a broad stay of proceedings preventing third parties from exercising  enforcement of rights and remedies against the Fortress Parties. The First Day Order also authorizes the Fortress Parties to enter into an interim financing agreement with  Investissement Québec, one of its senior lenders, and to borrow thereunder an amount of up to $1,000,000… which is expected to permit the Fortress Parties to be able to continue. …Trading in the common shares of the Company has been halted.

ABERCROMBIE, N.S. — Northern Pulp says the company’s future is in jeopardy. Brian Baarda, CEO, Paper Excellence Canada, the parent company of Northern Pulp, said the company is disappointed in the government of Nova Scotia’s decision re: granting an environmental approval to build a new treatment facility …He said, “our team put forward an in-depth plan based on sound science that showed no meaningful environmental impact, represented a significant operational improvement, and ensured Nova Scotia’s forest sector and the thousands its employs could remain a vital part of our economy.” …“Until we have a decision …the future of Northern Pulp and Nova Scotia’s Forestry Sector remain in jeopardy.”  …Unifor National President Jerry Dias said, “today’s decision by the environment minister is incredibly disappointing for the 350 workers of northern pulp in Pictou and frankly the 2,700 direct jobs that are impacted by the no decision today,” he said.

PICTOU, N.S. — One way or another, people in Pictou County want an answer. Municipality of Pictou County Warden Robert Parker said people are frustrated by the fact that Premier Stephen MacNeil has once again punted the decision about whether or not he will extend the Boat Harbour Act – this time until Friday, Dec. 20. “It leaves people in a terrible position,” he said. As head of the Pictou County’s largest municipality and one that encompasses both forestry lands and fishing harbours, Parker is well aware of both sides of the debate when it comes to Northern Pulp’s future. “Everybody knows the full story here.” Unfortunately, he said the province can’t seem to make up its mind. …He believes that the province needs to come up with a solution that will allow both forestry and fishing to continue.

Employees at Eacom Timber Corp. have a new six-year collective agreement, which includes improvements to the pension and benefits plan. …The collective agreement also includes increases to a pension bridging supplement for workers who retire between ages 60 and 65, according to the union. …“Members of the United Steelworkers Local 1-2010 are satisfied with the agreement that was presented to them, as it was ratified,” said Jacques Jean, the local’s president …“The speed at which we reached this agreement is a testament to the level of collaboration and trust between both parties and our willingness to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution,” said Wade Zammit, chief operating officer at Eacom. “Our people are at the centre of our operations and the focus we place on taking care of them is what makes the sawmill such an attractive place to work.”

There will be no federal environmental assessment of Northern Pulp’s proposed effluent treatment facility. Jonathan Wilkinson announced his decision to not designate the facility for the longer federal assessment Monday afternoon. “I am very much aware of concerns that have been raised related to the potential for adverse impacts from the project on marine life…,” said the federal environment minister in a written statement. “It is my expectation that outstanding questions and information gaps will be answered through the provincial environmental assessment process. Should these issues not be sufficiently dealt with through the provincial process, I remain committed to ensuring that they are thoroughly understood and addressed through federal regulatory processes.” The announcement came a day before provincial environment minister Gordon Wilson is set to announce whether to allow Northern Pulp’s controversial plan to treat up 85 million litres of effluent daily and pump it into the Northumberland Strait beside Caribou.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s environment minister is expected to release his decision today on a pulp mill’s controversial proposal to pump 85 million litres of treated effluent daily into the Northumberland Strait. Gordon Wilson will rule on a focus report Northern Pulp submitted to the provincial Environment Department in early October on its plan for a proposed effluent treatment plant and 15-kilometre pipeline near Pictou, N.S. The department asked the company for the report in March after then environment minister Margaret Miller determined more information was needed about the project’s impacts. If Wilson approves the project, it will likely spark an outcry from opponents, including the Pictou Landing First Nation, environmental groups and fishermen from across the Maritimes. However, if the minister rejects the company plan, Northern Pulp has said it will close the mill — putting more than 300 employees out of work and creating indirect job losses in the province’s forestry sector.

HALIFAX — For pipefitter Ben Chisholm, an imminent decision on the future of a Nova Scotia pulp mill could keep tradespeople he represents employed for years — or it could create frightening job losses. …Like many other residents of northeastern Nova Scotia, Chisholm is anxiously awaiting word from politicians in Halifax and Ottawa on the contentious plan by Northern Pulp to pump 85 million litres of effluent a day into the Northumberland Strait. “It’s a two-year construction project …. It’s a viable industry that wants to clean up the situation left by the previous owners,” he said in an interview from his office in Antigonish. Gordon Wilson, the province’s environment minister, faces a Tuesday deadline for a decision on the company’s followup proposal to ensure the 15-kilometre pipeline meets environmental standards. Ottawa has said it will indicate by Friday if federal authorities will conduct their own review.

Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment says proposed changes to how the discharge of toxic wastewater by industry into the province’s lakes and rivers is regulated will create a level playing field. An environmental group doesn’t agree. The province is proposing that each industrial site apply for its own environmental compliance approval to ensure that all facilities within the same industry are governed by the same legal tool. Environmental Defence doesn’t think this is the right way to go. …According to Scarfone, many companies have been consistently non-compliant. She cites pulp and paper company Domtar as an example. “In 2018 alone there were 11 violations of these regulations.  “These facilities aren’t ready to have individual and non-regulatory, non-legally binding environmental compliance approvals,” said Scarfone. Scarfone says Environmental Defence is concerned that the government has decided to scrap the rules instead of updating them.